NFL Rumors: Minnesota Vikings Could Target Tony Romo With Teddy Bridgewater Possibly Out For 2017

NFL rumors are beginning to take shape that the Minnesota Vikings — who reportedly will be without QB Teddy Bridgewater for the 2017 season — could be in the market for former Dallas Cowboys starter Tony Romo.

Multiple media outlets have that Teddy Bridgewater will be sidelined again for the 2017 campaign due to a knee injury the Minnesota Vikings young quarterback suffered during a preseason practice in August 2016. In a non-contact drill, Teddy Bridgewater dislocated his knee and suffered a torn ACL that required surgery to repair.

Bleacher Report provided an update for Teddy Bridgewater that suggested the former Minnesota Vikings first-round selection could be sidelined a total of 19 months due to his multiple injuries. Relying on an unnamed source within the Minnesota Vikings’ franchise, Bleacher Report suggested the gruesome injury Teddy Bridgewater suffered was worse than initially diagnosed.

“Doctors told the team that the shortest recovery time for that type of injury has been 19 months. Based on that timeline, Bridgewater likely won’t be recovered until March 2018 in the best case scenario.”

With the prospect of not having Teddy Bridgewater for another season, the Minnesota Vikings could be looking to upgrade their starting quarterback position that was held by Sam Bradford this season. ESPN Radio‘s Minnesota affiliate suggested the NFL franchise should look at Tony Romo as a replacement for the 2017 season in a recent article.

“The reasoning behind the Minnesota Vikings’ trade for Sam Bradford was pretty simple: The Vikings are a win-now team… So if the Vikings applied the same logic used to acquire Sam Bradford, then they would be on the phone with Jerry Jones about the price to acquire Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.”

At 37, Tony Romo carries his own risks — especially with his injury history — as well as a hefty price tag. The Minnesota Vikings are one of a handful of teams that could actually make sense for Tony Romo as the veteran is due $24.7 million in 2017 and could make moves to free up twice that by waiving Sam Bradford and Adrian Peterson this season.

The reward for securing Tony Romo could be too tempting for the Minnesota Vikings to overlook. In addition to acquiring a QB with 30 game-winning drives under his belts and better overall statistics than Sam Bradford, the Minnesota Vikings would be hoping that Tony Romo would continue a current NFL trend of QBs in the late stages of their career performing at supremely high levels.

Sam Bradford performed at a high level for the Minnesota Vikings for 2016 despite the team’s disappointing 8-8 record. After giving up a first round draft pick to obtain him, the Minnesota Vikings were rewarded by Sam Bradford as he posted an NFL-best 71.6 completion percentage while throwing for a career-best 3,877 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Not all media outlets have agreed that Teddy Bridgewater will miss all of the 2017 season for the Minnesota Vikings. NBC Sports refuted the NFL rumors suggesting Teddy Bridgewater will be sidelined for the entire year as no official timetable on his return had been made public.

NBC Sports also disputed that the Minnesota Vikings will seek to replace Sam Bradford by acquiring Tony Romo. The article suggested that the Minnesota Vikings are content to pay Sam Bradford his exorbitant salary as an insurance policy for the team, also noting that future contract negotiations with both Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater would be telling about the team’s expectations for the position.

“The uncertainty makes it certain that the Vikings will pay quarterback Sam Bradford a $4 million roster bonus in March and another $13 million in 2017 salary. Whether the Vikings pick up the 2018 option on Bridgewater’s rookie deal by May 3 will say plenty about their faith in his ability to return, as will the question of whether the Vikings attempt to extend Bradford’s contract.”

Do you believe the NFL rumors suggesting that Teddy Bridgewater will miss the entire 2017 season, prompting the Minnesota Vikings to go after a quarterback like Tony Romo for the upcoming campaign? Continue to follow the Inquisitr for more on this developing story.

[Featured Image by Rich Schultz & Hannah Foslien/Getty Images]